A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR DISTRICT Valuing our historic environment and assets

Supplementary Planning Advice | Adopted February 2018

Berkeley castle *HERITAGE Valuing our historic

[1] “All inherited resources, which people value for reasons environment and assets beyond mere utility.” Conservation Principles, English Heritage, 2008 recognises the contribution that our area’s heritage makes to the character of Stroud [2] “Heritage is a broad concept District, its economic vitality and the quality of life of and includes the natural as well people who live and work here. Our heritage contributes as the cultural environment. to our local identity and sense of community, while our It encompasses landscapes, historic environment is part of the district’s visual and historic places, sites and built environments, as well as bio- cultural appeal, helping to attract people and investment diversity, collections, past and to our area. continuing cultural practices, knowledge and living The Council believes it is essential that our heritage is experiences. protected, promoted and developed. For these reasons, It records and expresses the long Stroud District Council is proud to present a heritage processes of historic development, forming the strategy. essence of diverse national, regional, indigenous and local identities and is an integral part of modern life. It is a social dynamic reference point and positive instrument for growth and change. The particular heritage and collective memory of each locality or community is irreplaceable and an important foundation for development, both now and into the future.”

International Cultural Tourism Charter, ICOMOS, 2002.

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1. Stroud High Street in the 1980s 2. The 19th century railway sliced through earlier Bourne Mill at Brimscombe 3. Manor 4. Timber framed barn, Frampton-on-Severn 5. ‘Interwoven’ a mural by local artist Tracy Spiers at Wharf on the restored Stroudwater Canal 6. The Purton Hulks 7. Solar panels on a traditional stone roof 8. Berkeley Castle 9. Bisley conservation area visit www.stroud.gov.uk/heritage

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 1 CONTENTS

Why a Heritage Strategy? 3 Scope 3 What are our big issues? 4 Vision, objectives and priorities 6

1. UNDERSTANDING our heritage and its significance 8 Understanding: strategy priorities 9 Why do we need to know? 9 What have we got here? 9 The story of our place 15

2. CAPITALISING: valuing our historic environment and assets 17 Capitalising: strategy priorities 17 Economic benefits 18 Wellbeing benefits 22 Building a positive legacy for the future 23

3. POSITIVE MANAGEMENT: 25 Positive management: strategy priorities 25 Planning and the historic environment 26 Heritage at risk 27 Conservation Areas 28 Non-designated heritage assets of local significance 29

RAISING OUR HERITAGE UP THE AGENDA: 31 4. A positive driving force for Stroud District Strategy priorities 31 The Council’s wider corporate priorities 32

Implementation and Monitoring 34 Contacts and information sources 35

Wallbridge in Stroud, circa 1785. © Stroud District (Cowle) Museum Trustees, the Museum in the Park, Stroud. The Museum collection includes several paintings of our area, which shine a fascinating light on how the town and surrounds have evolved and grown over time.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 2 WHY A HERITAGE STRATEGY?

Wherever we live, our built, natural and Stroud District has a genuinely exceptional cultural heritage is fundamental to our local collection of assets and a very high quality identity, and often to our quality of life. environment. So this strategy is really about making sure that we value them, that we In Stroud District, our heritage is all around don’t take this resource for granted, and that us. In fact, it is so much a part of the we all manage the District’s heritage assets scenery, such a backdrop to our lives, that in such a way that we hand on a positive perhaps we don’t perceive its value or legacy for the future. recognise its impact as much as visitors do.

Scope Not only do we have a great heritage asset within targeted action, including through the identification of Stroud District, but we are lucky to have an interested opportunities for partnership working, funding, and informed community, including some highly training, education and capacity-building – for our active, knowledgeable and committed individuals and communities, as well as for those operating within organisations. Stroud District Council. Central to this Strategy is a desire to maximise the As Supplementary Planning Advice, this Strategy does contribution that the historic environment makes to have an essential focus on the role of the planning the diverse character of Stroud District, its economic system in the conservation and management of our wellbeing and the quality of life of its communities. area’s heritage. But the Vision and the priorities and main themes that run through this Strategy are The purpose of the Heritage Strategy is to set applicable to our District’s heritage in its widest sense. informed priorities for the conservation, management and monitoring of the District’s heritage assets, Whilst the built historic environment is an important including the effective and efficient discharge of the and particularly visible aspect of the District’s heritage, Council’s statutory duties and obligations. “heritage” must be seen in much broader terms, encompassing the natural environment, culture, skills Although this Strategy [has been] adopted by the and tradition, nostalgia and remembered histories, Council as Supplementary Planning Advice, which will artefacts, knowledge and interpretation. All of these be used to support and implement the District’s things contribute to our sense of local identity and adopted Local Plan, it does not set out detailed policy distinctiveness, our economic vitality and our quality or guidance to supplement what is already of life. established in the Local Plan. Instead, the Strategy seeks to highlight the value and significance of our The District Council provides many services, performs District’s heritage, the benefits of positive diverse duties and has a variety of powers that management, and how this ties in with the Council’s directly and indirectly relate to our area’s heritage. To wider corporate priorities. get the most out of this Strategy, to improve the conservation and management of Stroud District’s The supporting Heritage Action Plan, consisting of a heritage, the Council needs to embed this awareness programme of works relating to the objectives and into its broad range of activities and to actively priorities identified in this Strategy, will enable better embrace opportunities. and more efficient performance and more effectively

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 3 What are our big issues? Many of the issues facing our historic environment Some of this rests with the District Council, and heritage assets come down to a common core: particularly in the execution of its role and it is essential that there is proper understanding of responsibilities as local planning authority. But what we have and why it is significant. there is also a need for wider and better understanding amongst all individuals and Without this, we will lose things; without this, organisations involved in managing, developing properly informed and balanced decision-making and conserving our historic environment and cannot take place; our distinctiveness gets assets. watered down; and opportunities to bid for funds or effectively target investment may be missed.

Valuing our historic environment: an underappreciated asset? Both within and outside the Council, there are highly informed, committed individuals, who are passionate about our area’s history and environment, and work hard to champion and protect our heritage. But there is also a widespread deficit of understanding about what we have got here, perhaps even a bit of complacency.

A central goal for this Strategy is to turn this around: to raise our exceptional heritage up the agenda and to encourage people to view the historic environment as a true asset, which not only has intrinsic cultural and aesthetic value, but which can also bring economic, social and environmental benefits to our area.

Our heritage “at risk” A small proportion of Stroud District’s designated heritage assets have been formally identified as “at risk” through Historic England’s monitoring programme, Heritage at Risk (HAR). But there are gaps in our knowledge and understanding about the condition and vulnerability of our area’s wider historic environment, and indeed our undesignated © Chris Allen (Creative Commons licensing cc-by-sa/2.0) and cultural heritage assets.

Stanley Mills... Both the main mill building (Grade I listed) and the Stanley Mills conservation area around it are on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register (HAR), 2018.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 4 Our local distinctiveness Over the past few decades, economic pressures, ‘anywhere’ standard design and, to some extent, changes in building regulations and energy efficiency requirements have begun to water down our area’s visual distinctiveness. This is happening right across the District, including in conservation areas and where listed buildings are altered or extended.

This is an accelerating and self-perpetuating problem: the more frequently we see development that is non- contextual or non-distinctive, the more we see this as normal. It enters the local vocabulary, it sets a precedent, and it muddies the waters, meaning that This could be anywhere... we are less able to pick out what really is locally This little estate is not in Stroud District. But it looks just like dozens of housing developments built in the past two decades, all over Stroud distinctive or significant about a place. District, and all over England. Although the houses are individually quite pleasing and they are vaguely traditional in appearance, they are not Promoting high quality, distinctive design that is ‘of really locally distinctive. our time’, energy- and space-efficient, and reflective of the diverse character and local building traditions ______of our District is a key issue for the Local Plan Review * Stroud District Local Plan Review Issues and Options Paper, October 2017. to grapple with over the next five years*. Key Issues 21, 22, 23.

Resources This Strategy aims to provide evidence and explanation that will allow the Council to set informed priorities in relation to the conservation, management and monitoring of the District’s heritage assets. But it exists within a context of nation-wide reductions in public sector funding and cuts to local authority budgets. There is an inevitable impetus to “do more with less”, now and in the foreseeable future. Investigating opportunities to draw on diverse resources in a joined- up way, and to better employ the skills and enthusiasm of the District’s communities and interest groups in the positive management of our common heritage, will be increasingly important. This approach also links with the “localism” agenda and is timely, bearing in mind the increasing number of communities expressing interest in progressing Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDPs). The Strategy will provide a strategic overview and a practical steer for Sharing... emerging NDPs, helping them to understand, incorporate and exploit The Council has an extensive collection of old photographs. The Conservation Team liaised their local heritage capital; and it is hoped that emerging NDPs will be with enthusiastic volunteers, who have begun a able to help shape and benefit from projects included in the Heritage project to digitise the images. These are now being shared via social media, increasing public Action Plan, in years to come. access to this fascinating resource and sparking reminiscences and conversations online.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 5 VISION “Valuing our historic environment and assets, while building a positive legacy for the future”

This Strategy envisages Stroud District as a place that understands and has pride in its rich and varied heritage, where no one takes it for granted.

In Stroud District, we will protect, conserve, enhance and enjoy our historic environment and knowledge about our heritage, so that it makes a dynamic contribution to modern life.

We will treasure the contribution that our built, natural and cultural heritage makes to the diverse character of Stroud District, to its economic and cultural wellbeing and to the quality of life of our communities.

The historic environment will act as a stimulus and inspiration to high quality development in all parts of the District, so that it can reinforce local identity and play a part in increasing the appeal of the area as a place to live, work, visit and invest in – building a positive legacy for our future.

Objectives: Based on this Vision, and in response to the main issues facing our District and its heritage, the Heritage Strategy has three main objectives:

To maximise the contribution that the historic environment makes to the character of the District, 1 its economic well-being, and the quality of life of its communities;

To identify ways to positively address the issues and pressures that are facing our heritage 2 assets; To maximise opportunities for the historic environment to help deliver the District Council’s 3 wider corporate objectives, including those of the Local Plan.

These three objectives are all about properly valuing our historic environment and assets. To do this, we need to understand what we have got. We need to find ways to sensitively capitalise on it, in order to help sustain a long term future for our heritage assets and ensure that we hand on a healthy and positive legacy.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 6 We need to work on four things  The Strategy Priorities:

*UNDERSTANDING Our heritage  Promoting and supporting, however possible, good and its significance: stewardship, improved access and sharing of knowledge, information, artefacts and Many of the issues facing our heritage assets come interpretation. down to a common core: it is essential that we have a proper understanding of what we have and why it is  Developing resources, expertise and skills; significant. identifying gaps; and making the most of opportunities for learning and training.  Exploring and promoting the ‘story’ of Stroud District, to improve understanding about how particular assets (whether known or previously unidentified) fit into that story and contribute to local or national significance.

CAPITALISING On our heritage:  Exploiting our rich heritage and our high quality * historic environment as part of the District’s USP and Identifying ways in which our historic environment and ‘place branding’. (Place branding is about heritage really works as an ‘asset’ with cultural, communicating and managing the identity and economic, social and environmental value. perception of a place).  Encouraging all kinds of new development in all parts of the District to use our historic environment as a stimulus to high quality, imaginative design, which carries our distinctive local identity into the 21st century.  Nurturing creative and cultural industries, which are a distinctive feature of Stroud District’s economy: encouraging existing cross-fertilisation with our heritage and boosting mutual benefits for our historic environment, with particular focus on the re-use of industrial heritage.

POSITIVE MANAGEMENT  Committing to the positive management of our * District’s heritage “at risk”. Identifying issues and vulnerabilities, and highlighting opportunities to address them by making best use of  Establishing a programme for the appraisal and expertise, resources and skills – both within and outside management of conservation areas. the District Council.  Identifying and protecting non-designated heritage assets of local significance.

*RAISING OUR HERITAGE UP  A Heritage Champion for Stroud District. THE AGENDA  Knitting the quality of our heritage into the council’s corporate literature to help raise awareness of what Raising awareness about the value of our District’s we have here, reinforce our District’s ‘brand’, and exceptional heritage, including its economic, wellbeing and environmental capital; and using this as a positive give credit to the work that the council and partner driving force for Stroud District. organisations do, as well as the benefits that are brought to our District.

The Council’s future Action Plan will focus on these priorities as a means of delivering the Strategy’s objectives

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 7 1 | UNDERSTANDING Our heritage and its significance

troud District has a genuinely exceptional Our historic environment is dynamic, not Scollection of designated assets and a very high static. Each year we discover previously quality built and natural environment. unknown sites, learn more about the assets with which we are already familiar and gain The NPPF stresses that Planning should always new appreciation of aspects of the historic seek to secure high quality design and should environment that were once neglected. Our conserve heritage assets in a manner understanding of what happened in the past can appropriate to their significance, so that they be transformed by research; advancement of can be enjoyed for their contribution to the knowledge is the cornerstone of our ability to quality of life of this and future generations. care ever more effectively for heritage assets Whilst this Strategy cannot provide a complete through the planning system and through local catalogue of everything that has heritage and national designation. Understanding is interest, it is important to try to highlight some fundamental to people’s engagement with their of the main themes and distinctive quirks of our historic inheritance and our ability to maximise local history, which have provided us with such the potential social, economic and a valuable legacy. environmental benefits of this legacy.

From the earliest prehistoric settlement to the successive waves of new-comers (Romans, Saxons, Vikings), our area’s location at a strategic pinch-point between the Cotswold hills and the has been significant. [image ©Nick Turner]

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 8 *UNDERSTANDING *heritage Our heritage and its significance: SIGNIFICANCE Many of the issues facing our heritage assets come down to a [1] “The value of a heritage common core: it is essential that we have a proper asset to this and future understanding of what we have and why it is significant. generations because of its heritage interest. That interest This Strategy highlights 3 priorities for improving understanding: may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or  To promote and support, however possible, good historic. Significance derives stewardship, improved access and sharing of knowledge, not only from a heritage information, artefacts and interpretation. asset's physical presence, but also from its setting."  To develop resources, expertise and skills; to identify gaps; National Planning Policy Framework and to make the most of opportunities for learning and (Glossary), 2012 training. [2] “The sum of the cultural  To explore and promote the ‘story’ of Stroud District, to and natural heritage values of improve understanding about how particular assets a place, often set out in a statement of significance.” (whether known or previously unidentified) fit into that story and contribute to local or national significance. Conservation Principles, English Heritage, 2008

Why is it important to know? Knowing a bit about the story of a place – whether that is your home, your town or a development site – will help with understanding what is or is not significant about a particular heritage asset, and whether particular changes are likely to harm that significance or to actually enhance and reveal it.

How can we use it?  The Local Plan (Policy ES10) requires a heritage statement (a sort of impact assessment) to support any development proposal that affects a heritage asset (whether formally designated or not). You need to understand an asset’s significance before you can assess the impact that your proposal is likely to have on it.  A general understanding of our area’s history and significance will help when identifying local heritage assets (non-designated heritage assets that are of local significance), including for a local list.  There may be aspects of our ‘story’ that could signal archaeological potential on a particular site or in particular parts of the District.  Local heritage is often an important part of the evidence base for community Design Statements and Neighbourhood Development Plans. A heritage assessment or Conservation Area Appraisal will provide context, helping with policy formulation and justification.  Capitalising: promotion and marketing the local distinctiveness and USP of the District, or perhaps your area or business or product.

What have we got here? The graphic on page 10 sets out some of the headline facts and figures about Stroud District’s designated heritage assets (as at January 2018). These are primarily physical features of the built and natural historic environment, which have been nationally or locally designated and have some statutory protection through the planning system.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 9 TOTAL GRADE I GRADE II* GRADE II Listed Buildings 3,301 43 204 3,054 Scheduled Ancient Monuments 68 Registered Parks and Gardens 14 1 5 8 Registered Historic Battlefields 0 Protected Historic Wreck Sites 0 Conservation Areas 41 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty 1 World Heritage Sites 0 *Tally of Stroud District’s designated Heritage Assets (National Heritage List for England, as at January 2018)

Rest of Stroud Stroud District is 2,916 home to more than 2,969 Mendip a quarter of 3,087 East Gloucestershire’s 3,301 Stroud Registered Parks  3,738 Bath & North East and Gardens, and Of the 37 local 4,291 West Dorset almost 5% of the authority areas in the 4,691 total in the South Cotswold 4,998 West region. 3301 South West, only 12,275 LISTED BUILDINGS 12,563 Cotswold This is the number of 6 A huge number of homes and businesses are entries in the statutory affected by heritage designations: List*, but it equates to have more listed more than 4,500 buildings* than us – individual properties including the vast  county authorities of and structures. What have we 4,368 addresses within Stroud District are Wiltshire and affected by Listing (3,090 of which are Cornwall. got here? residential properties); and 11,075 addresses lie within a Conservation Area (7,630 of them are residential).  6.99 listed Given Stroud  buildings District’s size and We have rural nature, we The Area We have CONSERVATION per km2  have an of Outstanding 41 AREAS 68 exceptionally Natural Beauty All our town centres are Scheduled ‘dense’ collection (AONB) designation Conservation Areas   15miles Ancient of listed buildings: apart from covers just over Monuments Stonehouse.    well over double (almost 1% of all the national 2 the SAMs in the    average (2.9/km ) South West); and roughly twice plus countless    the South West 50% sites of average archaeological 2 of the District’s entire (3.7 /km ). land area. interest that have roud roud roud West WestWest Our 15 mile long Industrial Heritage Conservation Area not been formally South SouthSouth St StSt is one of the largest conservation areas in Britain. scheduled. England EnglandEngland

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 10 ...What have we got here? But our District’s total “heritage asset” is much broader than these designations. Many other unlisted, unscheduled buildings, structures, features and places are of local heritage interest; while the documentary, oral and cultural history of our area and our communities, including knowledge about specific places or objects (whether designated or not), are an invaluable part of our heritage too. Stewardship of and access to this knowledge, including through museums, exhibitions, archives and local history groups, are crucial to unlocking a proper appreciation and understanding of what we have here and to what degree it is significant.

Listed Buildings When you consider the size and rural nature of structures relating to transport and industrial our District, we have an exceptional ‘density’ of infrastructure also feature, including milestones, listed buildings packed into our 472 square turnpike toll houses, canal bridges and locks, and kilometres. Stroud’s railway station, which is home to the 19th century Grade II* listed goods shed, designed by As you would expect, our area’s long history of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. wool trade and cloth manufacture, upon which many of our towns and villages were founded, is Perhaps a surprising by-product of the cloth reflected in the kinds of buildings and structures industry, which brought enormous wealth to the that are listed – as is the area’s later industrial district and particularly to clothier families, is the diversification. Stroud District’s list entries include unusually high number of listed burial not only the numerous mill buildings that are such monuments, grave stones and – particularly – distinctive features of our local environment, but chest tombs in Stroud District. This dynastic workshops, stores, offices, weavers’ cottages and wealth, combined with the abundant and good the prestigious mill owners’ or managers’ quality local limestone which lent itself to residences. Wealthy clothiers built some detailed, decorative carving, has left us with a impressive mansions, many of which reveal the peculiar legacy of more than 380 chest tombs changing fortunes of their owners and the ups and dating from the 17th-19th centuries (more than downs of the cloth trade through the historic 10% of all our listed buildings), a high proportion extensions or fashionable remodelling that was of which are listed Grade I or II*. undertaken at different periods. Buildings and

Wool... Southfield House in (Grade II*) dates from the late C16th, but was periodically extended and remodelled to reflect more up-to-date fashions. In 1750, Frederick, Prince of Wales, paid a visit to wealthy clothier, Sir Onesiphorous Paul – it is thought that a whole new wing and an oak panelled room were added to the house for the occasion!

Water... A rare survivor of the historic lave- net salmon fishing industry on the River Severn, this early C19th Fishing House at Elmore is Grade II listed.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 11 Scheduled Monuments and other development site on Foxes Field at Ebley and at archaeology Rectory Meadows in Kings Stanley) have unearthed traces of late Roman villas, suggesting The South West is particularly rich in Scheduled that the Frome Valley was more densely inhabited archaeology, with an average 0.29 Scheduled during Roman times and contained more high assets per square km – almost double the average status buildings than previously thought. density for England as a whole (0.15 per square km). So Stroud (0.14 per square km) is fairly representative of the national average, although Conservation Areas rather sparse compared to the South West average. Most English local authorities have fewer We have 41 conservation areas in Stroud District, than 60 Scheduled Monuments within their covering a really diverse range of places – from boundaries. densely populated town centres, such as Stroud, and Berkeley, to the wide open spaces of 33 of our 68 Scheduled Monuments consist partly Old Dock and Stratford Park; from or entirely of long- round- or bowl-barrows, which quintessential chocolate-box villages, like Bisley are ancient burial mounds. Cotswold long barrows and Box, to impressive industrial heritage at places are internationally famous as one of the largest like Stanley Mills and Stroud Station. and most accessible groups of Neolithic tombs in Britain. About sixty long barrows are known in In size, our conservation areas range from tiny, Gloucestershire, including Hetty Pegler’s Tump tightly-drawn Woodmancote (just 16,400 sqm) to () and Long Barrow on the enormous Industrial Heritage Conservation Hill, which have been excavated and are open to Area (IHCA), which stretches more than 15 miles the public. The Toots on Common is well right the way across the middle of the District. preserved, but unexcavated. Barrows are the most Covering nearly 6.7 square km and tracing the numerous type of heritage site on Historic watercourses of the industrial Stroud Valleys, from England’s Heritage at Risk (HAR) register, and our on the River Severn to Sapperton and own local situation seems to mirror the national Avening in the east, the IHCA is one of Britain’s picture: four of Stroud District’s six Scheduled largest conservation areas. It envelopes and links a Monuments in the 2017 HAR are barrows. series of smaller pre-existing conservation areas, which were also designated in recognition of the Stroud District’s Roman heritage is another valleys’ exceptional industrial heritage. It is notable source of archaeology. The remains of 3 certainly an unusual conservation area, with its Roman villas have been scheduled – including the own particular issues and pressures. The IHCA and famous villa at Woodchester – and there are many Stanley Mills CA are both currently assessed as “at other traces of Roman settlement, both risk” and appear in Historic England’s Heritage at designated and undesignated. At Kingscote, a Risk register. Our two conservation areas make up large site in just crosses the 5.5% of all the “at risk” conservation areas in the border into our District: a Romano-British town South West region1. More on this in Chapter 3 consisting of more than 75 buildings – one of only (*POSITIVE MANAGEMENT). 133 small Roman towns recorded in England. The Cotswolds was amongst the wealthiest and most All our town centres are conservation areas (with densely populated areas in the Roman province of the exception of Stonehouse). Most of them have Britainia Prima (which covered southwest England long histories as market towns, founded on the and Wales). The Severn Vale was also populated, medieval wool trade and shaped by the changing but the picture of Roman and post-Roman fortunes of the cloth industry over the centuries. habitation here is still evolving. Roman settlements have long been known about at Standish, Eastington and Frocester. But recent 1 Historic England’s Conservation Areas At Risk Survey (CAARS) 2017 and archaeological investigations (including finds at a Heritage at Risk Register (HAR) 2017. 36 “at risk” conservation areas are identified in the South West region.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 12 [5]

[6]

Each part of the District has its own distinctive settlement [7] pattern, shaped by its history and topography. The landscape surrounding Grade II* listed Dunkirk Mill near is typical of the Stroud [4] [5] Valleys’ settlement pattern. Mills [1], mill ponds [2] and late C18th-C19thtransport infrastructure (road, rail and canals) [3] populate the valley floor, along the river corridor. Steep accommodation paths zig- zig up the valley sides [4] (where [3] cloth was once stretched out to dry on the fields) to the weavers’ [1] and workers’ cottages that cling to the steep slopes [5]. These are [2] strung along the ancient lanes that follow the valleys’ contour lines [6]. Mill owners’ prestigious residences perch at some little distance from the mill [7]. [3] Explore your neighbourhood’s heritage and built environment via online digital mapping resources Know Your Place kypwest.org.uk/ and Side by Side maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side- by-side [5] [4]

[6]

“Collecting, safeguarding and making accessible artefacts and related information about the landscape and people of the Stroud District for present and future generations.”

Mission... Part of the Museum in the Park’s mission statement. which focuses on “Enabling people to access and share the collections and heritage of the Stroud District for inspiration, learning and enjoyment.”

The Museum tells the story of Stroud District, from its geological foundations to its industrial heyday, right through to today’s cultural and artistic output.

Hands on... An interactive exhibit at the Museum: having a go at making a mosaic, inspired by the District’s Roman heritage.

AA HERITAGEHERITAGE STRATEGYSTRATEGY FORFOR STROUDSTROUD DISTRICTDISTRICT PagePage | | 1313 These are attractive town centres, whose draw in the world has had in shaping our history: the and vitality today relies, to varying degrees, on the River Severn has been a strategic trading and visible heritage which adds character and local communications route since prehistoric times, distinctiveness to their roles as working, shopping while its estuarine landscape and the Vale and leisure environment lowlands were important to the rural economy. Traces of medieval and later agriculture are still visible in ridge-and-furrow undulations, as well as Historic parks, gardens and the field pattern and hedgerows in places. designed landscapes We have 14 Registered Parks and Gardens – Museums and cultural heritage assets Stroud District is home to almost 5% of the Registered Parks and Gardens in the entire South The Museum in the Park is the District’s flagship West region, and more than a quarter of museum. Based at the Grade II listed former Gloucestershire’s Registered sites. Only six local mansion house within Stratford Park in Stroud (a authority areas in the South West have more conservation area), the museum service is a Registered sites than us – including the county discretionary public service provided by means of authorities of Wiltshire and Cornwall. a partnership between Stroud District Council and the Stroud District (Cowle) Museum Trust (a Over half the District’s Registered Parks and registered charity). The Council provide the Gardens are open to the public – either regularly management and funding for the service and the or by arrangement. From the pleasure gardens Trust are the legal guardians of the collections. and 12 acres of parkland around Misarden Park to England’s only complete surviving 18th century The Council is also custodian of other cultural and Rococo Garden at House, these assets community facilities, including the Grade II listed are part of the Cotswold brand. Our area has Subscription Rooms in Stroud, which hosts events particular associations with Arts & Crafts gardens and exhibitions and is now leased and managed by and with famous designers such as Vita Sackville The Stroud Subscription Rooms Trust. West, who had a hand in updating the 17th century The District Council and some of our town and walled gardens of Alderley Grange. parish councils have an important role in the management of a broad range of buildings and Natural heritage and landscape assets which are either statutorily designated or have some local heritage interest. Over half our District is designated an Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB). Not only do There are many museums, visitor centres and we have an exceptionally high quality landscape, heritage centres across the District, in private, but part of the character and interest of the public or charitable trust ownership, representing Cotswold AONB is derived from its historic a diverse, exciting range of heritage and cultural buildings and settlements. From the rolling wold interest. Amongst these, Dr Jenner’s House and tops, populated by scattered farmsteads and Garden in Berkeley commemorates Edward th hamlets; to the steep Stroud valleys, where Jenner, the 18 century pioneer of vaccination; weavers’ settlements cling to the slopes and the Stroudwater Textile Trust champions Stroud’s ancient trading routes are incised into the industrial past; and the Woodchester Mansion limestone; and the dramatic form of the Cotswold Trust works to conserve and interpret the th scarp, which plunges down to the Severn Vale. fascinating unfinished 19 century Victorian Gothic masterpiece, which was mysteriously We must not forget though that beyond the AONB abandoned in 1873. our District is rich in many other beautiful and fascinating landscape features. Nor should we forget the impact that the landscape and our place

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 14 1. Æthelflæd, ‘Lady of the Mercians’, and husband Æthelred (both buried in ) granted privileges to Berkeley Abbey in the 890s. Our area, part of the former Hwicce kingdom, lay at the meeting point of Wessex and English The story of our place Mercia. She re-planned and re-fortified Gloucester as a defence against marauding Danes. [image British library*]. This Strategy document cannot give a complete account of everything 2. “Fair Rosamund” Clifford (c.1150-1176), alleged mistress of King Henry II, is said to have been born at Frampton Court – that has heritage significance for Stroud District. But promoting the still occupied by the Clifford family today. Frampton’s village green (reputedly England’s longest) is known as story of our area, to help improve understanding of how particular Rosamund’s Green. Depicted by Pre Raphaelite artist John assets fit into that story, is a key ambition for the future. William Waterhouse, 1916. 3. The transformation of Wotton-Under-Edge from small hamlet to a market borough in the C13thwas largely due to Our heritage has been shaped by where we are in the world. That is why Joan de Somery (de Berkeley) (c.1191-1276). Her creation of burgages attracted merchant families from and it is specific and significant to us, as individuals and as communities. Gloucester – feeding a booming wool trade. How the area known today as “Stroud District” developed over time has 4. Berkeley Castle is said to be the place of Edward II’s imprisonment and grisly murder in 1327. He is buried in shaped the historic, visual and cultural legacy we are left with. Gloucester Cathedral. [image British library*]. 5. William Tyndale (born c.1494) spent his childhood around From the earliest prehistoric settlement to the successive waves of new- and Stinchcombe. ’s towering Tyndale Monument commemorates his revolutionary comers (Romans, Saxons, Vikings), our area’s location at a strategic translation of the New Testament into English [image from pinch-point between the Cotswold hills and the River Severn has been Foxes Book of Martyrs*]. 6. John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of Methodism, preached significant. Both Crown and Church had important impacts on medieval from a butchers block in Stroud’s Shambles market in 1742 and was a frequent visitor to the town. Stroud had a life, shaping the kinds of buildings and settlements we are familiar with tradition of religious nonconformity dating back to the today. The ancient wool trade was particularly formative; while our 1570s. [image: National Portrait Gallery*]. 7. King George III paid a special visit to Stroud is 1788: he was topography – with an abundance of steep valleys and fast-flowing fascinated to see the junction of the two brand new canals, so the Royal party stopped off to see a barge pass through watercourses – played an important role in our area’s long and diverse the Wallbridge locks. industrial heritage. The area’s industrial wealth (as well as periods of 8. Today we are safe from smallpox, thanks to Dr Edward Jenner (1749-1823). He pioneered a vaccine from his home hardship and stagnation) gave us some of our most outstanding heritage in Berkeley, becoming arguably the world’s most famous doctor in his day. Lithograph by P. R. Vignéron, 1824. assets. Ingenuity, nonconformity and philanthropy are distinctive [Image credit: Wellcome Library, London] characteristics of our heritage – and arguably these are still prominent in 9. Gloucestershire born Samuel Lysons was one of the first archaeologists to investigate Britain’s Roman sites: he the District’s cultural heritage today. unearthed the Orpheus mosaic at Woodchester in 1793. [image: National Portrait Gallery*]. 10. Lord John Russell, Stroud MP and Britain’s last Whig Prime Minister, was the principal force behind the Great Reform Act of 1832. [image: National Portrait Gallery*]. 11. Edwin Beard Budding (1796-1846), an engineer from Where can you find out more? Eastington, invented the lawnmower, inspired by the cutting cylinders used at a local cloth mill to trim the nap.  The Museum in the Park is a great place to start – it tells the story of Stroud District, from 12. Henry Wyatt (1793-1847) a wealthy clothier, businessman its geological foundations to the latest cultural events and innovations, and is home to and campaigner, erected Britain’s first memorial to the many records and artefacts. museuminthepark.org.uk abolition of slavery in 1834 at the entrance to his mansion, Farmhill Park. The anti slavery arch is Grade II* listed of  The County Council provides archaeological planning advice and curates Gloucestershire’s national significance. official Historic Environment Record (HER), an essential first point of call which contains 13. George Holloway (1825-1892), Stroud MP and information on more than 8,500 designated and undesignated heritage assets and philanthropist. Once Stroud’s largest employer, he introduced revolutionary steam powered sewing machines investigations in Stroud District. gloucestershire.gov.uk/her and ready-to-wear clothing to England. He built terraced  The national Heritage Gateway website provides access to local and national records. housing for his workers at Horns Road. heritagegateway.org.uk 14. Danish inventor Mikael Pedersen (1855-1929)*. His association with Dursley and Lister Petter resulted in the  Gloucestershire Archives is creating a new ‘Heritage Hub’ in Gloucester: the onsite and Pedersen bicycle, amongst other engineering innovations. online Hub is a collaborative approach to gathering, keeping and sharing the documented 15. Beatrice Webb (1858-1943), co-founder of the London heritage of Gloucestershire. gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives/ School of Economics and Political Science, advocate of a welfare state and pivotal member of the Fabian Society:  The District’s numerous local history groups and societies are a great resource. Stroud born and brought up at Standish House, her family home. [image: LSE Library*] Local History Society has a good website: digitalstroud.co.uk 16. Oakridge Craftsmen (1938), painted by Sir William  The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is the official register of all nationally Rothstein (now in ’s The Wilson Museum and designated buildings and sites. historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list Gallery). The Cotswolds became an important centre for the Arts & Crafts Movement in the late C19th /early C20th. A  More information and comparative data about the District’s designated assets can be band of notable architects and craftsmen settled around found in Historic England’s national audit of the historic environment, Heritage Counts, Oakridge /Daneway and made their mark on several of our towns and villages. carried out annually on behalf of the Historic Environment Forum. 17. Norman Jewson, Arts & Crafts architect and member of historicengland.org.uk/research/heritage-counts/ William Morris’s Society for the Preservation of Ancient  British history online is a digital library of key printed sources, with a primary focus on the Buildings (SPAB), restored Owlpen Manor during the 1920s. period between 1300 and 1800. The many volumes of the Victoria County History of 18. Laurie Lee’s writings and poems (including the 1959 classic Cider With Rosie) have immortalised and the Stroud Gloucestershire are a particularly useful source of history about particular settlements. Valleys in the national consciousness. His portrait hangs in british-history.ac.uk/ the Woolpack Inn, Slad.  Explore your neighbourhood’s heritage and built environment via Know Your Place, an 19. Isabella Blow, fashion muse and patron, launched Stroud’s farmers market with Jasper Conran and was influential in online digital mapping project, including Gloucestershire’s (HER). kypwest.org.uk/ drawing modern artists and designers to the area. She married Detmar Blow, grandson of Arts & Crafts architect Detmar Blow, who designed Grade II* Hilles House at (1914-16) as the Blow family home.

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A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 16 2 | CAPITALISING Valuing our historic environment and assets

The far-reaching benefits of heritage are It is therefore important that heritage is not widely acknowledged and heritage impacts considered in isolation, but in a wider on many aspects of people’s lives. context, which takes account of its capacity for ‘added value’.

*CAPITALISING Valuing our historic environment and assets: This Strategy highlights three priorities to help the Council and Stroud District’s communities and businesses capitalise on our heritage:  Exploiting our rich heritage and our high quality historic environment as part of the District’s USP and ‘place branding’. (Place branding is about communicating and managing the identity and perception of a place).  Encouraging all kinds of new development in all parts of the District to use our historic environment as a stimulus to high quality, imaginative design, which carries our distinctive local identity into the 21st century.  Nurturing creative and cultural industries, which are a distinctive feature of Stroud District’s economy: encouraging existing cross-fertilisation with our heritage and boosting mutual benefits for our historic environment, with particular focus on the re-use of industrial heritage.

Image: Christopher Hargraves

Economic benefits Wellbeing benefits Building a positive Heritage and the historic The historic environment plays an legacy for the future environment are intrinsically important part in how people “Sustainable development” is at the very linked to economic activity. Many view the places they live, how core of the planning system: achieving economic activities take place they feel and their quality of life. development that improves our social, within the historic environment, Heritage can, of course, help to economic and environmental conditions are dependent upon it, or are create a sense of place and local today, but not at the expense of future attracted by it. Heritage is a major identity, and can foster a sense of generations. Sustainable development is driver of economic growth – this is community cohesion. But there about change for the better, and not true nationally and it is true within are also interesting cause and only in our built environment2. The Stroud District. effect relationships between historic environment, our built, natural heritage and health and and cultural heritage, has a key role to wellbeing. play in sustainable development - Leisure... bringing about “change for the better”. Beacon, a National Trust site, marks the halfway point of the 102 mile long . The Beacon is part of an extensive Scheduled Ancient Monument, which includes an Iron Age hill fort, Romano-British settlement, cross-dyke and bowl barrow. 2 Ministerial foreword to the NPPF

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 17 Economic benefits Nationally*, research indicates that:  One in four businesses said that the historic The relationship between heritage and the environment is an important factor in deciding national and regional economy is well where to locate (this was rated equally documented*. important as road access)  In the South West of England, Heritage  Over 90% of respondents to a 2010 survey generated £1.2 billion in Gross Value Added agreed or strongly agreed that investment in (GVA) in 2013 (comparable to agriculture, their local historic environment made the area forestry and fishing at £1.3 billion). This is a better place in which to live, work, visit or equivalent to 2.3% of total GVA in the South operate a business West (the figure is 2% nationally).  Investment is worth the return: £1 of public  In total, domestic and international heritage- sector investment in the historic environment related visits generated £1.8 billion in generates £1.60 of additional economic expenditure in the South West. activity over a ten year period  There are an estimated 44,100 “heritage-  Approximately one in five visitors to areas related jobs” in the South West. which have seen historic environment  Repair and maintenance of historic buildings investment spend more in the local area than in the South West directly generated £974 before; and one in four businesses has seen million in heritage-related construction sector the number of customers increase. output in 2015. This is equivalent to 9.3% of Stroud’s Local Plan recognises that, often, the land total construction output or 24% of the repair most in demand for new development in our and maintenance output in the South West District is also that which is at the very heart of our (compared to 8% and 22% nationally). environmental heritage assets4. This is certainly an issue when it comes to protecting and enhancing There is no doubt that our historic environment our historic environment – but it is also an and assets are responsible for a significant “Gross opportunity: Added Value” to our District economy too, across a wide range of sectors and functions, including: All our town centres are conservation areas (with the exception of Stonehouse, which  Tourism and leisure nonetheless has some heritage interest).  The construction industry and conservation These are attractive town centres, whose specialists draw and vitality today relies, to varying  Economic activity in historic buildings and degrees, on the visible heritage which adds places character and local distinctiveness to their  Investigation, research and display of roles as working, shopping and leisure archaeological sites and structures environments.  Education The Local Plan (Policy EI2) has identified some existing employment sites where targeted Heritage-led regeneration, jobs and growth regeneration and mixed-use redevelopment Heritage can provide a key driving force in could boost their current employment economic regeneration. The Government potential, economic output and community recognises that “the development of our historic benefit. Many of these are historic mill sites built environment can drive wider regeneration, job creation, business growth and prosperity”3.

4 Stroud District Local Plan 2015. ‘Key Issue 79’, Chapter 1. * Heritage Counts: Heritage and the Economy 2016. Historic England on 3 Culture White Paper 2016 DCMS behalf of the Historic Environment Forum.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 18 © Megan Crouse

Creative... Creative and cultural industries are 29 % more likely to be found in a listed building that in a non-listed © Nick Turner building in England. Architectural practice Millar Niche... Howard Workshop has based itself How will our town centres adapt in in a former Stroud Valleys woollen the future, in the face of changing mill. Our area’s rich industrial retail habits? Some may come to rely heritage is fertile ground for even more heavily on their leisure creative industries and new start- offer and niche markets. Much of SpaceHoppers ups seeking flexible and character- Nailsworth’s destination appeal filled work space. depends on its pretty historic environment.  Co-working... Stroud District has above average levels of self-employment and home- working. SpaceHoppers (based at Libbys Mill in Stroud) and Cluster (Belvedere Vital heritage... Mill in ) cleverly cater to this market, occupying adapted former Today, Stroud town centre industrial buildings to provide shared work spaces and facilities. derives much of its vitality and appeal from its attractive historic character, despite the steepness of the High Street. But in the 1980s the town Regeneration... centre faced the threat of The current Local Plan identified Ham Mill in extensive demolition. Local Thrupp as one of several ‘regeneration sites’ community action (leading to (Policy EI2), where redevelopment should seek the formation of the Stroud to intensify employment provision, as well as Preservation Trust) prevented developing other uses. A heritage-led scheme this, raising awareness of the was granted planning permission in 2017. The value of these heritage assets. mix combines 100 new homes with modern Today we understand and commercial / employment space and the appreciate the economic harm scheme aims to set an architectural that poorly considered benchmark, to catalyse regeneration of other demolition and insensitive under-used industrial heritage sites in the redevelopment can have. District.

© Assael Architecture

© Assael Architecture © Nick Turner

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 19 and some lie within the Industrial Heritage  A very high proportion of creative industries Conservation Area and along the historic based in historic buildings are start-ups, with Cotswold Canals corridor, where they are well over 60 per cent established between 2010 placed to benefit from the ongoing canal and 2013 (HLF 2013) restoration and to contribute to shaping what  Property agents state that historic buildings are should become an exciting and valuable attractive to creative industries because they leisure, tourism and cultural asset, as well as are smaller, more flexible and cost-effective delivering new homes and jobs. (AMION and Locum Consulting 2010). The Council’s Jobs and Growth Strategy identifies the need to work with the Canals As well as offering creative industries an attractive and Rivers Trust to produce a ‘destination permanent base, our District’s natural and built strategy’ for Sharpness Docks and surrounding environment is a huge draw to temporary or area – including the area around the Old visiting creative enterprises. Docks conservation area, which has been In recognition of the significant economic allocated for strategic development in the benefits that film and TV production can bring Local Plan. Sharpness is a really unusual, to the local economy, Stroud District Council distinctive part of Stroud District, quite unlike has signed up to Creative England’s Film anywhere else. Its unique heritage and Charter, committing all council departments atmospheric character could – and should – to a “film friendly attitude”. Creative England play a central role in shaping the future of estimated productions spent over £4 million in Sharpness, acting as a positive driver for Gloucestershire In 2014, and that film change and investment. production can bring up to £32,000 per day into the local economy when filming on Creative and cultural industries location, using local hotels, facilities and The Council’s Jobs and Growth Strategy identifies traders. creative industries as one of the District’s key employment sectors, within which to focus job- Tourism, visitors and leisure creation investment. The District’s healthy creative An estimated £144 million was spent by day economy is a particularly distinctive feature of the tripping and overnight visitors to Stroud District in Stroud Valleys’ economic character5. The Stroud 6 2014, with a tourism-related business turnover of District Local Plan envisages Stroud as “the more than £184 million. Around 3,199 people are beating heart of a flourishing artistic and cultural believed to be employed in jobs relating to scene”, and links the regeneration of the industrial Stroud’s tourism sector, which is 5% of the valley bottoms and the restoration of the Cotswold District’s employment offer8. Canals with building a focus for creative and green industries. This is identified as a guiding principle, Market research in 20129 (which quizzed people to be borne in mind when considering future who were familiar with our area and those who development within the Stroud Valleys especially. were not) suggested that people most associate

7 the Stroud ‘brand’ with market towns, villages, Nationally , research indicates that: scenic countryside; historic attractions, sites and  Creative and cultural industries are 29 % more landscapes; and food and drink. The study, which likely to be found in a listed building that in a examined perceptions and experiences of visiting non-listed building in England (HLF 2013) The Cotswolds, revealed that many of the things that people most sought or expected from The

5 Stroud District Settlement Role and Function Study 2014, Chapter 3. 6 Stroud District Local Plan 2015. ‘Vision 1.1’ and ‘Guiding Principles’ for the Stroud Valleys, pages 42-44. 8 The Economic Impact of Gloucestershire’s Visitor Economy 2014. The South 7 Heritage Counts: Heritage and the Economy 2016. Historic England on West Research Company Ltd on behalf of Stroud District Council, 2016. behalf of the Historic Environment Forum. 9 Arkenford 2012

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 20 USP...  Volunteers and Partners... Stroud District has Without volunteers, there would exceptional natural, be no Cotswold Canals project. cultural and heritage Volunteers have raised funds, capital. Marketing contributed labour, skills and our area’s ‘unique knowledge and manned boats. selling points’ not only boosts tourism, Since work began in 2009 on the but may help to draw stretch of canal between re-locating or start- Stonehouse and Brimscombe up businesses to the (part funded by the Heritage District and to Lottery Fund), £17 million of increase the District’s private investment has been appeal as a place to channelled into the canal live and work. corridor, providing more than 500 new homes and leading to Discover Stroud District www.visitthecotswolds.org.uk nearly 60 new business start-ups and hundreds of new jobs. The next phase of works relies on continued partnership between the District Council, Cotswold Canals Trust, County Council, the Homes & Communities Agency and the Canals & Rivers Trust:

 completing the link between Stonehouse and the national canal network at Saul Junction  transforming Brimscombe Port by re-excavating an expanse of water, providing moorings, constructing new homes, businesses and community facilities. Brimscombe Port in 1900. As such a large inland port, Brimscombe was highly unusual and of national significance.

Film friendly... Filming for the BBC’s Wolf Hall, taking place at Berkeley Castle. Our District’s natural and built environment is a huge draw to temporary or visiting creative enterprises, including film and TV productions, which can bring significant expenditure and investment into the local economy. © Giles Keyte

© Nick Turner Active... Engaging... Stroud’s Art Deco Lido A family fun day at Berkeley Castle. (open air pool), part of the Council-owned leisure centre, sits within the Stratford Park Conservation Area; The hill top commons have archaeological, geological and biodiversity interest; Stroudwater Textile Trust’s www.stroud-textile.org.uk series of walking guides; Walking the historic grounds of Misarden Park.

Remembering... “Rempods”, a local company (itself based at a former historic mill site), uses the idea of handling familiar objects in nostalgic settings to provide specialist dementia therapies. www.rempods.co.uk

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 21 Cotswolds are things that Stroud can offer in The wellbeing ‘value’ of visiting heritage sites has abundance: villages (appealed to 77% of been calculated as equivalent to £1,646 per person respondents), Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty per year.10 This is the amount of money that would (79%), places with interesting architecture (69%), have to be taken away from a person to restore market towns (75%), local view points (72%), them to the level of wellbeing they would have rivers, canals and waterways (67%). had, had they not visited a heritage site. This figure is more than the value attributed to participating Local Plan site allocation SA5 includes the  in sports or the arts. Visiting an historic town or historic Old Dock conservation area at city was found to be the most beneficial. Sharpness. With its emphasis on delivering a mix of tourism, leisure and recreational uses, supported by housing development, the Physical and mental health allocation reflects the Local Plan’s vision for Whilst ‘old’ buildings are generally valued by the cluster of parishes around Berkeley: people of all ages and are commonly considered to boosting the area’s established tourism and be more “beautiful” than new buildings11, it seems visitor economy, whilst conserving and that built heritage has particular value to older managing the rich built and natural heritage. people – perhaps due to a sense of continuity, longevity and familiarity. There is evidence to suggest that engagement with museum and gallery collections can enhance people’s physical and Wellbeing benefits mental wellbeing and even improve their life Our built and natural heritage offers diverse expectancy12. opportunities to bring benefits to community and individual health and wellbeing, including - Encouraging older people to reminisce has been shown to enhance both the inner self and social  Providing community or cultural facilities skills. Furthermore, shared memories amongst the through the adaptive re-use of historic elderly opens up a potentially lonely time of life in buildings to one that favours passing on knowledge and 13  Nurturing self-identity and mental health bolstering a sense of place . through interaction with historic places or Our historic environment also offers opportunities objects for people of all ages to get involved physically and  Helping communities to identify what is of practically. From volunteers working physically local heritage value and what may be hard to repair features along the Cotswold Canals, significant to their community identity and to the rural skills workshops and schools’ outdoor distinctiveness learning sessions run at the National Trust’s  Reinforcing community or family cohesion Ebworth Centre, Stroud’s urban and rural through shared experiences – whether environment is rich with opportunities for active through reminiscences, education and engagement. learning or simply to a fun day out  Volunteering: bringing benefits to both the individual and the wider community, as well as Encouraging participation to the heritage asset itself The extent to which people ‘give’ to heritage –  Improving physical health and activity levels both financially and through giving time – can be through access to natural heritage sites, seen as an indicator of how much they value including our historic parks and gardens, the many historic sites and viewpoints dotted 10 Heritage Counts: Heritage and Society 2017. Historic England on behalf of across our landscape, the Cotswold AONB and the Historic Environment Forum. our hill-top commons. 11 Values and Benefits of Heritage, 2016. Research review by HLF. 1.1.2, p5. 12 Values and Benefits of Heritage, 2016. Research review by HLF. 3.1, p14-15. 13 This premise was at the heart of a heritage, health and wellbeing project, developed by the Manchester Museum in conjunction with Manchester City Council’s Valuing Older People initiative

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 22 heritage. A 2016 research review by the Heritage quality of the historic environment (NPPF, Lottery fund (HLF) into the Values and Benefits of paragraph 9); and that Planning should always Heritage reported that 7% of respondents to a seek to secure high quality design and should national 2015 survey by DCMS had volunteered in conserve heritage assets in a manner appropriate the heritage, museum or library sectors within the to their significance so that they can be enjoyed previous 12 months. This equates to for their contribution to the quality of life of this approximately 3.7 million people (DCMS Taking and future generations (NPPF, paragraph 17). Part Survey 2014/15). And our own Local Plan recognises that, whilst the Nationally, older people are more likely to attend preservation and protection of the historic museums and heritage sites than younger people. environment is one half of the story, new However, a person who visited a heritage site or development also offers opportunities for positive museum as a child is more likely to visit change: throughout adulthood14. Encouraging access by youngsters is a way of fostering a lifelong interest  New development should maintain and, and sense of value. where appropriate, enhance heritage assets and their settings in a manner that is appropriate to their significance16;  The historic environment should act as a Building a positive legacy for stimulus and inspiration to place making in all the future parts of the District so that it can reinforce local identity and play a part in increasing the “Sustainable development” is at the core of the appeal of the area as a place to live, work, visit planning system. The foreword to the NPPF and invest in17; explains that -  New development should seek opportunities “The purpose of planning is to help achieve to draw on the historic environment in order sustainable development. Sustainable means to maintain and enhance local character and ensuring that better lives for ourselves don’t distinctiveness18. mean worse lives for future generations. Development means growth... Sustainable The adaptation of historic buildings offers development is about change for the better, opportunities to provide secure and positive futures 15 and not only in our built environment.” for the District’s heritage assets, whilst also improving their usefulness as places to live and work. Sustainability is often described as having three elements: social sustainability, economic New development is one of the most conspicuous sustainability and environmental sustainability. All ways in which the character and quality of a place three are interlinked and consideration of can be either reinforced or degraded. The Local development proposals tends to require a Plan encourages all kinds of new development in balanced judgement about the relative gains (or all parts of the District to use our historic losses) that the proposal might bring about in environment as a stimulus to high quality, relation to each three. imaginative design.

The historic environment, our built, natural and Making the most of opportunities associated with cultural heritage, has a key role to play in new design and development, within and inspired sustainable development - bringing about “change by the historic environment, is a key priority for for the better”. This is up-front in the NPPF, which this Strategy. states that pursuing sustainable development involves seeking positive improvements in the

16 Stroud District Local Plan, Policy ES10 and paragraph 6.56 14 Values and Benefits of Heritage, 2016. Research review by HLF. 2.3, p 13 17 Stroud District Local Plan, paragraph 6.53 15 Ministerial foreword to the NPPF 18 Stroud District Local Plan, paragraph 6.56

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 23 “Creating cultural opportunities for everyone that stimulate and act as a catalyst to explore the past, understand the present and imagine the future.”

Mission... Part of the Museum’s mission statement

Getting involved...  The sleek new ‘learning pavilion’ at The Museum in the Park (part funded by Gloucestershire Environment Trust’s largest grant to date) sits happily within the restored walled garden and offers new facilities for school children and organisations such as Dementia Adventure.

Volunteering...

Local distinctiveness...

A new-build home in . Oak framing, combined with modern technology, can be extremely energy efficient, whilst reflecting the architectural heritage of the Gloucester vale.

Conservation Area Statements and Village Design Statements are tools to help identify just what makes a place ‘distinctive’ in terms of the buildings, spaces, materials and topography that characterise it.

The grass roof and dry stone walling of the new M5 , nestled below the Cotswold escarpment, is both unapologetically modern and architecturally sensitive in its form, landscaping and palette of materials. Designed by Glenn Howells Architects with AFL Architects, the project won several Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awards in 2016.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 24 3 | POSITIVE MANAGEMENT Identifying issues and opportunities

Heritage is not self-managing. Without and resources outside the Council, to intervention, over time, things start to improve communication and education, and degrade: whether through natural to build capacity within the District’s weathering processes, through damage, communities. demolition, physical alterations and additions to the historic fabric, or through Positive management means investigating changes to the surroundings and context. key vulnerabilities, issues and pressures that face Stroud’s diverse heritage assets, We want to make the most of opportunities how they are currently addressed, and to enhance the positive management of the whether there are opportunities for change historic environment – including the to bring about better, more effective, potential to make use of expertise, skills conservation and management.

This Strategy has three big *POSITIVE MANAGEMENT priorities for the District Council, based around identifying issues and vulnerabilities, and highlighting opportunities to address them by making best use of expertise, resources and skills – both within and outside the District Council:

 Committing to the positive management of our District’s heritage “at risk”  Establishing a programme for the appraisal and management of conservation areas  Identifying and protecting non-designated heritage assets of local significance

These are priorities are focussed on making sure that the right information and evidence is available when needed, to enable informed decision making.

AA HERITAGEHERITAGE STRATEGYSTRATEGY FORFOR STROUDSTROUD DISTRICTDISTRICT PagePage || 2525 The Local Plan set out the Council’s commitment Planning and the historic to produce a heritage strategy to support Policy environment ES1021. It also includes a series of key ‘indicators’22, designed to give an indication of The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) how successful ES10 is and how effectively the advocates that local planning authorities should policy influences planning decisions. produce a clear and positive strategy for the conservation and management of their area’s These indicators are things that can be regularly heritage19. monitored and measured – and if numbers go up or down, they should give an indication of As Supplementary Planning Advice, this Strategy whether the condition, security and positive and the Heritage Action Plan will be used to management of the District’s heritage assets is support and implement the District’s adopted generally improving or declining. They include: Local Plan – in particular, Policy ES10 “Valuing  the number of heritage assets that are judged our Historic Environment and Assets”, which is to be “at risk”; the principal policy against which decisions about  development that affects the District’s historic the number of conservation areas with an up environment will be assessed. to date appraisal and an up to date ‘conservation areas at risk’ (CAARS23) survey; Conserving and enhancing Stroud District’s  the number of listed buildings; distinctive qualities, including our rich built and  the number of non-designated heritage assets natural heritage, is one of the Local Plan’s of local significance (these can be, but are not Strategic Objectives20. During the Local Plan’s always “locally listed”); emergence, this guiding principle influenced  the number of instances of substantial harm strategic decisions about where future to non-designated heritage assets. development will and will not happen and where large development allocations have been located, A key priority for the Action Plan is to set out: and it has helped to shape detailed place-making and design policies. This link is set to continue The nature and extent of a programme to through the Local Plan Review and future monitor the District’s heritage assets “at iterations of the Plan. risk”, including the degree of positive and proactive influence the Council may be capable of; The current Local Plan The adoption of the A programme for the appraisal and Stroud District Local  Plan in November management of our conservation areas; 2015 means that our District has a An appropriate methodology for the development plan identification and assessment of non- that places the quality of our designated heritage assets, including environment and options for ‘local listing’ or alternative surroundings at its heart. means of monitoring and managing such assets.

19 NPPF para.157: “Crucially, Local Plans should ... contain a clear strategy for enhancing the natural, built and historic environment, and supporting Nature Improvement Areas where they have been identified”. And para.126: “Local planning authorities should set out in 21 Stroud District Local Plan: Policy ES10, Valuing our Historic Environment their Local Plan a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment and Assets. Supporting paragraph 6.55. of the historic environment, including heritage assets most at risk 22 Stroud District Local Plan: Appendix 1: Policy ES10 Key Indicators through neglect, decay or other threats”. 23 This is a nationwide Historic England survey, which has been running since 20 Stroud District Local Plan: Strategic Objective SO6: Our District’s distinctive 2009 and is designed to be an annual audit of all England’s conservation qualities. Page 148. areas. The survey is carried out by Local Authorities.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 26 /occupiers / users to come forward with Heritage “at risk” investment and alternative uses A small proportion of Stroud District’s heritage Celebrating success stories. assets have been formally identified as “at risk”  through Historic England’s monitoring programme, It will be helpful to undertake a regular review of Heritage at Risk (HAR). In 2018, 19 of our external funding sources and to ensure that designated heritage assets have been included on potential avenues for attracting investment and the HAR register: resources into the District are well publicised  5 Scheduled Monuments: four of which are among stakeholders. long- or bowl-barrow burial mounds;  12 Listed Buildings: including two mill Industrial heritage buildings (at Stanley Mill and Longfords Mill) The District’s industrial legacy is a distinctive and seven places of worship (churches); aspect of our area’s heritage. It provides us with  2 Conservation Areas: The Industrial Heritage some peculiarly distinctive challenges, on top of Conservation Area and Stanley Mills typical ‘heritage at risk’ issues that are common all Conservation Area. over the country. But this aspect of our heritage also affords us some opportunities that many Our two “at risk” conservation areas make up 6% other areas do not have. of all the “at risk” conservation areas in the South West24. The fact that the Industrial Heritage Conservation Area (IHCA) and Stanley Mills Conservation Area Historic England does not monitor Grade II listed have both been identified as “at risk” through the buildings through the HAR programme, except for CAARS process is significant: the vulnerability of listed places of worship. So the national HAR Stroud’s District’s industrial heritage reflects a completes only part of the picture. common picture across the whole country. A survey undertaken in 2011 to support a Historic Establishing a co-ordinated, up-to-date and England initiative to tackle the problem found that, regularly monitored Buildings at Risk (BAR) nationwide, the percentage of listed industrial programme is a key opportunity for Stroud District buildings at risk was three times greater than the Council, to enable targeted and proportionate national average for listed buildings at risk. intervention aimed at reducing the severity and number of assets “at risk”: In our area, the vulnerabilities relate partly to issues around adaptation and re-use of redundant Providing evidence to inform the resourcing  buildings and sites. National research25 suggests and management of the District’s assets that former textile industry buildings and country Identifying patterns, trends and common houses typically face the most acute ‘conservation issues, which may suggest unforeseen deficit’ (i.e. the difference in the cost of repair solutions compared to the end value) of all the various types of designated assets on the current HAR. Building a case to apply to external sources for financial aid / other assistance But our historic industrial environment is also complex and not always conventionally Monitoring the effectiveness of the Local Plan  ‘attractive’. Its historic and architectural interest Making the register and key findings publicly can be easily eroded by poorly contextualised new accessible may encourage greater community development and incremental, seemingly minor, involvement and may encourage new owners losses – because the significance is not always easy to appreciate. So improving knowledge and understanding of this significance is vital. 24 Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register 2018 identifies 33 “at risk” conservation areas in the South West region. 25 Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register 2016

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 27 Building at risk...  Grade II* St Mary’s House is on the national Heritage at Risk Register. Conservation Areas 2017 saw the 50th anniversary of Conservation Areas in England, created through the 1967 Civic Amenities Act. Unlike listed buildings and other statutory heritage designations, conservation areas are designated by local authorities when they determine that an area has particular architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.  In Stroud District, we have 41 Conservation Areas – which reflects the generally high level Image: Mark Brazendale of architectural and historic interest of many of our settlements.  The District Council is legally obliged to review the district “from time to time”, to assess whether existing designations are still justified and to identify any additional areas worthy of designation.26  Ideally an ‘appraisal’ of the area should be carried out at the time of designation, to explain its special architectural or historic significance.27  Local Planning Authorities have a duty to A conservation area at risk...  formulate and publish proposals for the The cumulative impact on the Industrial Heritage Conservation Area of individual, apparently minor, demolitions can be hard to appreciate. This preservation and enhancement of their 55m long corrugated iron shed at Fromehall Mill was lost more than ten Conservation Areas.28 years ago. There are now relatively few survivors of what was once a locally common 19th century building type. Brightly painted and  This is in addition to the obligations to make decorated ‘crinkly tin’ and timber structures were home to industry, agriculture, schools and chapels. They are part of the IHCA’s fabric. local plan policies for the conservation, enhancement and enjoyment of the historic environment, as set out by the NPPF29. Market Towns...  Wotton-Under-Edge is one of the District’s 41 conservation areas, along with the historic market towns of Dursley, Stroud, Berkeley, Nailsworth A 2017 YouGov poll commissioned by Historic 30 and . England found strong public support for Conservation Areas nationally, but only 56% of people surveyed who live in a conservation area were actually aware that they live in one. The survey also confirmed that common problems facing Conservation Areas are unsympathetic doors, windows and new extensions, poorly maintained streets and neglected green space.

26 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Section 69. 27 Historic England Advice Note 1: Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal and Management (2016), paragraph 21. 28 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Section 71. 29 NPPF, paragraphs 126 and 157. 30 Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register 2017 © Nick Turner

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 28 An appraisal of the area’s character and significance is an important tool in helping to Non-designated heritage ensure that the likely impact of any proposed assets of local significance development is properly understood and that informed decisions are made by the Local Planning The vast majority of buildings and structures have Authority in determining planning applications little or no heritage significance and so do not which might affect the area’s significance. constitute “heritage assets”. But a minority have enough heritage interest for their significance to Understanding what the vulnerabilities are (how be a material consideration in the planning certain trends or pressures can threaten a process. In Stroud District we are lucky to have a particular conservation area’s significance) makes rich historic environment, with a large number of the implementation of policies and design designated heritage assets. But almost every one guidance easier. of our settlements will have at least a handful of heritage assets which, whilst not significant Regularly reviewed appraisals, which identify enough to warrant statutory designation, threats and opportunities, can be developed into a nevertheless have local historic interest. Management Plan, which can in turn channel development pressure to conserve the special  Non-designated heritage assets are a material quality of the conservation area. Areas in relative consideration in the planning process: their economic decline and areas under particular significance is one part of the balanced judgement pressure for development can benefit from that the local planning authority must make when management opportunities that promote determining an application for development.32 beneficial change31.  The Stroud District Local Plan (Policy ES10) As of 2018, character appraisals (known as supports development which will protect and, “Conservation Area Statements” / CAS), have been where appropriate, enhance the heritage adopted as Supplementary Planning Advice for significance and setting of locally identified only 15 of our 41 conservation areas. heritage assets.

A key priority for the first Heritage Action Plan is  The Local Plan also requires a ‘heritage to set out a programme for the ongoing appraisal statement’ to accompany any application for and review of the District’s conservation areas, development which would affect a heritage with the ultimate aim of having up-to-date asset or its setting, including non-designated and Conservation Area Statements in place for each locally identified heritage assets. The statement conservation area. should describe the nature and significance of the affected asset(s) and their setting, and explain The programme will set out a reasonable how the proposed development would protect or target for what can be achieved within the enhance them in a way that is appropriate to their next five years and will be reviewed each time significance. the Action Plan is refreshed.  Local planning authorities may identify non- Improving awareness about the existence of designated heritage assets. These are buildings, CAS and management proposals – including monuments, sites, places, areas or landscapes training on how to use them – will also be an identified as having a degree of significance important part of any review programme. meriting consideration in planning decisions but which are not formally designated heritage assets. Community involvement will be encouraged, In some areas, local authorities identify some and will depend upon the Council providing a non-designated heritage assets as ‘locally listed’33. degree of support and advice and helping to 49% of local authorities had a Local List in 2018. develop local skills and capacity.

31 Historic England Advice Note 1: Conservation Area Designation, Appraisal 32 NPPF, paragraph 135 and Management (2016), paragraph 22. 33 PPG Conserving and enhancing the Historic Environment, paragraph 039

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 29 In Stroud District, local heritage assets tend to be identified on an ad hoc basis through the planning process, as individual development proposals are considered. This might be during pre-application discussions, or during consideration of a planning application. A potential heritage asset might be flagged up by a planning case officer, by a conservation officer, by the applicant or through public comment – for example a comment by a consultee, amenity society, parish council etc.

Establishing a more structured ‘Local List’ has several benefits:  Speeding up the planning process: if an asset is already identified in a local list, it can be quickly identified at the outset of a planning proposal by both the applicant and the planning authority.  Cutting down on dispute: Whether or not a Local significance...  Non-designated structures and features of local heritage significance building, site or structure constitutes a “heritage may be part of the fabric, character and backdrop of a place. They might also be related to historically significant people or events. Clockwise asset” will also be less open to dispute if it has from top left: a parade of turn-of-the-century shops in Stonehouse; a been assessed against consistent and objective distinctive finger post in North Nibley; street signage in Stroud’s earliest suburb; the Vindicatrix monument in Sharpness marks a significant selection criteria and has been ‘adopted’ via a chapter of the community’s maritime history. proper process. The speed and robustness of ad hoc  The Purton Hulks...  identification may also be improved by having a An extraordinary and extensive boat graveyard on the Severn shoreline. local list: ideally, in the case of buildings, their Although one of the ships, The Harriet, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, the wider site has no statutory designation or formal significance should be judged against published protected ‘status’, despite widespread recognition of its local heritage criteria34, which may be generated as part of the significance. The hulks are undoubtedly a local heritage asset. process of producing a local list.  Building a better picture: a local list can help to complete the overall picture of our area’s heritage significance and will form part of an evidence base for future planning decisions and policy-making at both community- and District- level.  An opportunity for our local communities to work in partnership with the District Council: helping to build and reinforce a sense of local identity and distinctiveness by identifying parts of the historic environment valued by the community at the local level; making use of expertise, knowledge and resources outside the Council; improving communication and spreading awareness about valuing our historic environment and assets.

34 PPG Conserving and enhancing the Historic Environment, paragraph 041 © Kurt Thomas Hunt (Creative Commons licensing)

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 30 4 | RAISING OUR HERITAGE UP THE AGENDA A positive driving force for Stroud District

Raising awareness about the value of our across diverse service areas and corporate District’s exceptional heritage, including its functions. economic, wellbeing and environmental capital is central to the success of this The Council provides many services, Strategy. performs diverse duties and has a variety of powers that directly and indirectly relate to This is partly about public awareness, but it our area’s heritage. In order for a strategy to is also about corporate awareness within work positively and effectively to improve Stroud District Council and about the conservation and management of Stroud strengthening our commitment to positive District’s heritage, the Council needs to management of the historic environment; embed this awareness into its broad range of and making the most of the role we can play activities and actively embrace in building a positive legacy for the future, opportunities.

*RAISING OUR HERITAGE UP THE AGENDA A positive driving force for Stroud District This Strategy highlights two priorities relating to raising awareness about the value of our District’s exceptional heritage, including its economic, wellbeing and environmental capital, and using this as a positive driving force for Stroud District:

 A Heritage Champion for Stroud District.  Knitting the quality of our heritage into the council’s corporate literature and other platforms, to help raise awareness of what we have here, reinforce our District’s ‘brand’, and give credit to the work that the council and partner organisations do, as well as the benefits that are brought to our District.

St Cyr’s Church on the Stroudwater Navigation at Stonehouse. The Cotswold Canals restoration is a corporate priority for Stroud District Council.

AA HERITAGEHERITAGE STRATEGYSTRATEGY FORFOR STROUDSTROUD DISTRICTDISTRICT PagePage ||3131 What do our corporate strategies say? “Leading a community that is making Stroud District a better place to live, work and visit for everyone”

The District Council’s Vision guides the Corporate All of these projects feed directly or indirectly off our Delivery Plan and the allocation of Council resources. area’s historic environment (and have significant Most people’s experience of living in, working in or impacts upon it), deriving at least some value and visiting our District is touched in some way by our built impetus from their heritage assets. Several of these and natural heritage. It is a heritage that is evident projects have received some form of heritage-related right across our area and it is an important part of funding. It is clear that a diverse range of initiatives Stroud District’s ‘brand’. have been undertaken over the years, by many different parts of the Council organisation, which have The Council’s current Corporate Delivery Plan and in some way recognised, celebrated or capitalised Jobs and Growth Plan cite the economic benefits and upon our distinctive heritage. the Council’s investment in key regeneration projects, including the Cotswold Canals project, the planned Future review of these and other corporate strategies redevelopment of Sharpness Docks and Brimscombe and service plans offer opportunities to make explicit Port and the forthcoming town centres’ role and links to the economic value and the potential offered function study, as well as the District’s growing links by our area’s historic and natural heritage with the film industry through Creative England.

Our built, natural and cultural heritage is intertwined with Council business on many different levels. Heritage impacts and expertise are manifested across a diverse range of functions, duties and powers throughout all Service Units, including:

 Managing and funding the museum service, in partnership with the Stroud  Supporting and advising communities in the production of Neighbourhood District (Cowle) Museum Trust. Development Plans and Community Design Statements, particularly in  Leading partners in the Cotswold Canals restoration project. relation to evidence-gathering and policy formulation.  Leading and delivering long-term sustainable development and  Promoting and supporting the District’s cultural and tourism offer. regeneration, through strategic planning, economic development and the  “Place branding”; marketing and communications about (amongst other re-development of Council-owned land or premises. things) Council services and the area’s economic appeal.  Conserving and enhancing the historic built environment through the  Managing public spaces, including Stratford Park (a conservation area) and planning system and effective application of building regulations. cemeteries.  Using diverse Planning, Environmental Health and Housing statutory powers  Health, wellbeing and sports development – including dementia-friendly to manage historic buildings and sites at risk – from “Tidy-up Notices”, to initiatives and promoting access to the natural environment. compulsory purchase and powers to deal with empty homes or dangerous  Licensing of cultural events. structures.  The Council’s own house-building programme.  Managing an extensive portfolio of publicly owned assets – including high  Housing renewal, including dealing with empty homes and improving profile examples such as Stratford Park Lido, Brimscombe Port and the Stroud energy efficiency. Subscription Rooms (now leased by The Stroud Subscription Rooms Trust), but also less obvious sites like garage blocks in conservation areas.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 32 Our built and natural heritage are helping to deliver corporate objectives and the Council’s five key priorities for making Stroud District a better place to live, work and visit for everyone:

ECONOMY: Help create a sustainable and vibrant economy that works for all. This Strategy identifies many ways in which our historic environment is an asset to our economy – including through tourism and leisure, creative industries, business start-ups, regeneration, town centre vitality and specialist trades and crafts.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Provide affordable, energy efficient homes for our diverse and changing population. The adaptation of historic buildings offers opportunities to provide new homes, including affordable housing. And, conversely, the construction of new housing is one of the most conspicuous ways in which the character and quality of a place can be either reinforced or degraded. The Local Plan encourages all kinds of new development in all parts of the District to use our historic environment as a stimulus to high quality, imaginative design. This should be true of the Council’s own projects, as well as those delivered through the open market.

ENVIRONMENT: Help the District community minimise its carbon footprint, adapt to the changing climate and recycle more. Converting and re-using an old building is the ultimate form of recycling, involving less waste and embodied energy than demolishing it and building a new one. There are clearly issues around the thermal performance and energy efficiency of most old buildings: upgrading, renewal and adaptation of listed buildings and other heritage assets will require creative solutions and proportionate compromise to avoid significant harm, as the local and global importance of this priority is only likely to grow in the future. The Council’s updated 2017 Environment Policy now incorporates a broader “environment” focus, which references the Council’s role in protecting and shaping the quality of our natural and built surroundings and heritage. This highlights the importance of heritage to environmental “sustainable development”, in terms of handing on a positive legacy to future generations and helping us to live within our environmental limits – which better reflects the interpretation in both the NPPF and our own Local Plan.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING: Promote the health and well being of our communities and work with others to deliver the public health agenda. This Strategy has highlighted several positive and perhaps unexpected ways in which our built and natural heritage can boost health and wellbeing – including through physical and outdoor activity; memory and reminiscence; community identity, cohesion and sense of place; shared experiences and interactions which combat isolation; leisure; and the generally uplifting effect of being in attractive, well cared-for surroundings.

RESOURCES: Provide value for money to our taxpayers and high quality services to our customers. This Strategy provides evidence and explanation which will allow the Council to set informed priorities relating to the discharge of its duties to conserve and manage the historic environment, including through the Planning service, the Museum service and Council-owned assets. This will enable better and more efficient performance and more effectively targeted action, including through the identification of opportunities for partnership working, funding, training, education and capacity-building. The current Corporate Delivery Plan identifies as a key focus the need to invest in projects and Council assets that deliver a return, generate income or deliver savings, so enabling the Council to fund essential public services. Our historic environment offers opportunities for this.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 32 A Heritage Champion The idea of a Heritage Champion (sometimes a “Design and Historic Environment Champion”) has been around for more than ten years, promoted by the Government and by Historic England (as well as the former Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, CABE). Nationally, whether or not a local authority has a Heritage Champion is monitored by Historic England on behalf of the Historic Environment Forum and is reported in the annual Heritage Counts publication.

69% of English Local Authorities have a “Heritage Champion”35 – normally a councillor who has been nominated by their authority to be an advocate for all aspects of the historic environment in their area and to promote the role that heritage can play in achieving the authority’s wider objectives.

It is up to each local authority to decide what nomination process to use and to shape the precise scope and remit of the role. But a Heritage Champion will generally: Generate enthusiasm for and awareness of the importance of the local historic environment Help ensure that commitment to the proper care of the historic environment is embedded in all relevant activities and plans of the local authority Influence and communicate with others to ensure benefits for the historic environment.

Appointing a Heritage Champion offers a potentially very effective way of raising our heritage up the agenda. If the Council does choose to elect a Heritage Champion, they will have a key role in promoting the aims and priorities of this Strategy and in building partnerships.

35 In 2018 there were 254 Heritage Champions across England, according to Historic England’s Heritage Counts: Heritage Indicators 2018. Locally, Cotswold District, Borough and all have Heritage Champions (Heritage Counts: Local Authority Profiles 2018). Find out more about Heritage Champions: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/local-heritage/heritage-champions/

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 33 IMPLEMENTATION and MONITORING

This Heritage Strategy has been adopted as effectively targeted action, including Supplementary Planning Advice (SPA), to through the identification of opportunities support the Stroud District Local Plan, for partnership working, funding, training, which runs until 2031. education and capacity-building – for our communities as well as for those operating This document is ‘Part 1’ of the Strategy; within Stroud District Council. ‘Part 2’, its supporting Heritage Action Plan, is integral to its success. Together, the As part of this, it is important to be able to Strategy and Action Plan will enable better monitor progress and measure performance and more efficient performance, and more against the Strategy’s key priorities.

Implementing this Strategy will directly affect the that deliver a return, generate income or deliver Council’s operation, first and foremost in its savings. There may be opportunities to convert the development management and strategic planning role Council’s capital fund to revenue, whilst delivering as the local planning authority. heritage benefits.

But to get the best out of this Strategy, it will also However, aside from the execution of the District require a wide range of private, public and voluntary Council’s statutory functions and obligations, this bodies to work together. The Council will work with Strategy has been prepared on the basis that there will other stakeholders, including Historic England and the be limited local authority funding available for the County Council, with parish councils and delivery of projects or initiatives identified in the neighbourhood groups, building preservation trusts, supporting Action Plan. civic societies, museums, cultural venues, heritage attractions and other specialists to identify needs and The Strategy seeks to channel future efforts to achieve opportunities and to support particular projects three big heritage objectives (p6) by highlighting four however we can. key themes and a series of Strategy Priorities (p7). These 11 Priorities are a way of helping the Council to In particular, the Council recognises and supports the focus future action and allocate support to community development of neighbourhood plans, which have a or other stakeholder initiatives. key role to play in the management and shaping of our historic environment. The themes and Priorities are sufficiently flexible to allow action to be scaled up or scaled down, according If the Council chooses to elect a Heritage Champion, to available funding and resources in years to come, they will have a key role in promoting the aims and whilst still remaining focused on achieving the priorities of this Strategy and in building partnerships. Strategy’s fundamental objectives.

Resources Heritage Action Plan As Supplementary Planning Advice (SPA), this Heritage The second part of this Strategy is an Action Plan for Strategy will allow the District Council to set informed The District Council. The first Action Plan will consist of priorities in relation to the conservation, management a programme of works, refined through consultation and monitoring of the District’s heritage assets and the with key stakeholders, which relates to the Strategy’s allocation of resources. key Priorities. The current Corporate Delivery Plan identifies as a key focus the need to invest in projects and Council assets

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 34 The Action Plan will set out realistic objectives and Find out more ... Some useful actions for the next five years. Performance will be contacts and points of reference monitored, with indicators set out for each action, and stroud.gov.uk an annual progress report to Environment Committee Information about the District’s conservation areas, listed buildings (or any future equivalent). The Action Plan will be and other designated assets; find out about applying for listed periodically refreshed, with a rolling five year building consent and planning permission and how to access pre- timeframe. application advice from the Council’s specialists; see the Local Plan and other planning policy documents.

 The County Council provides archaeological planning advice Local Plan indicators and curates Gloucestershire’s official Historic Environment The Local Plan includes a series of key ‘indicators’36, Record (HER): gloucestershire.gov.uk/her designed to give an indication of how effective Policy  Historic England manages The National Heritage List for ES10 (‘Valuing our historic environment and assets’) is. England (NHLE), the official register of all nationally designated buildings and sites. There is a wealth of information on the These indicators are things that can be regularly Historic England website, including funding sources, Heritage monitored and measured – and if numbers go up or At Risk and Heritage Counts data, as well as practical advice and technical guidance: historicengland.org.uk down, they should give an indication of whether the  The Cotswolds Conservation Board advises on planning and condition, security and positive management of the development in the Cotswold AONB and produces the District’s heritage assets is generally improving or Cotswold AONB Management Plan and supporting guidance. declining. They include: cotswoldsaonb.org.uk  National Planning Policy is contained within the NPPF. This and  the number of heritage assets that are judged to the government’s planning practice guidance on the historic be “at risk”; environment is available online: gov.uk/guidance/conserving-  the number of conservation areas with an up to and-enhancing-the-historic-environment date appraisal and an up to date ‘conservation  The Museum in the Park is a great place to start – it tells the areas at risk’ (CAARS37) survey; story of Stroud District, from its geological foundations to the latest cultural events and innovations, and is home to many  the number of listed buildings; records and artefacts: museuminthepark.org.uk  The national Heritage Gateway website provides access to  the number of non-designated heritage assets of local and national records: heritagegateway.org.uk local significance (these can be, but are not always  Gloucestershire Archives includes an emerging ‘Heritage Hub’, “locally listed”); which is envisaged as a collaborative approach to gathering,  the number of instances of substantial harm to keeping and sharing the documented heritage of non-designated heritage assets. Gloucestershire: gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives/  The District’s numerous local history groups and societies are a These will be monitored and a performance appraisal great resource. Stroud Local History Society has a good website: digitalstroud.co.uk will form part of the periodic review, refresh and  There are several civic societies and preservation trusts based reporting of the Heritage Action Plan. in the District, including The Cotswold Canals Trust, Stroud Preservation Trust and The Stroudwater Textile Trust, which Note: The current Local Plan is due for review, with a have good online presence. Civic societies can be searched via new Local Plan anticipated 2021/22. As part of this civicvoice.org.uk process, the current ES10 indicators will be subject to  British history online is a digital library of key printed sources, review (alongside the current policy wording and the with a primary focus on the period between 1300 and 1800. general strategic direction of the Plan as a whole), with The many volumes of the Victoria County History of a view to ensuring they are fit for purpose and Gloucestershire are a particularly useful source of history about particular settlements: british-history.ac.uk/ measurable.  Explore your neighbourhood’s heritage and built environment via online historic maps, such as the great ‘side-by-side’ resource from the National Library of Scotland: maps.nls.uk  Don’t forget books and local libraries! There are many fascinating local history books and published collections of old postcards and photographs. Amongst these, The Buildings of England series (the Pevsner Architectural Guides) is a very useful introduction to the architecture and built heritage of 36 Stroud District Local Plan : Appendix 1: Policy ES10 Key Indicators our individual towns and villages. Stroud District is covered by 37 This is a nationwide Historic England survey, which has been running since 2009 and is designed to be an annual audit of all England’s conservation Gloucestershire Vol 1: The Cotswolds and Gloucestershire Vol 2: areas. The survey is carried out by Local Authorities. The Vale and Forest of Dean.

A HERITAGE STRATEGY FOR STROUD DISTRICT Page | 35 Development Services Stroud District Council Ebley Mill Stroud Gloucestershire GL5 4UB

The Planning Strategy Team 01453 754143 [email protected]

Development Management (including Conservation Officers) 01453 754442 [email protected] visit www.stroud.gov.uk/heritage

Towards a Heritage Strategy for Stroud District [CONSULTATION DOCUMENT]